


Washingdays

by stimkycat



Category: Batman (Comics), DC Extended Universe, Gotham (TV)
Genre: Awkward Edward Nygma, Bathing/Washing, Bathtubs, Bubble Bath, Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Caring, Chief of Staff Edward Nygma, Childhood Memories, Domestic Fluff, Established Oswald Cobblepot/Edward Nygma, Fluff, Isabella (Gotham) Doesn't Exist, M/M, Mayor Oswald Cobblepot, Mentioned Gertrud Kapelput, Nygmobblepositivity, Old-Fashioned, Psychopaths In Love, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-24 03:40:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30066102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stimkycat/pseuds/stimkycat
Summary: After an exhausting day at the mansion, Oswald decides to take a hot, calming bath. Edward checks on him after a while.
Relationships: Oswald Cobblepot & Edward Nygma
Collections: Ed/Oswald Fics





	Washingdays

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Good morning, husband](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25169233) by [Gabrie_DwelleR](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gabrie_DwelleR/pseuds/Gabrie_DwelleR). 



> This plays out at Penguins mansion, about 2 months after S3E6. Penguin is still the mayor of Gotham and Edward is his Chief of Staff. In my version of Gotham, Isabella never existed, and so all the events taking place due to her, such as Edward torturing Oswald, as well as Edward not showing up to Oswald's dinner, never happened.  
> Enjoy!

It has been two long months since Oswald Copplepot, Kingpin of the Underworld, King of Gotham and feared boss-criminal, also became Gothams controversial, but well-loved, Mayor.

It´s been a tough road to get there (which would include Penguin setting himself up for mayor, killing all other contestants expect former Mayor Aubrey James, getting betrayed by Butch Gilzean- who set himself up to be the leader of the Red-Hood-gang, only to take Edward Nygma´s place- and Edward taking back the money Butch used to temper the election with, all to let Mr Copplepot see the true love Gotham's citizens feel towards him) but with Edward Nygma, his Chief of Staff, by his side, he managed all the work exceptionally well.

Perhaps that was because Edward was such an organized perfectionist, who one could only expect to get the job done perfectly, or maybe it was because Oswald and Edward enjoyed each others company so much, they _could_ _not_ do any other than fulfil their duties remarkably well. And besides going on boring festivals he was expected at, visiting schools packed with lousy children (or so Penguin thought) and occasionally attending underwhelming dinners Oswald was invited to, he actually loved being the mayor of Gotham. People finally showed him the heedfulness and love that the man had been longing for years. Even as the ambitious and somewhat evil "Penguin" people never really respected him as much as he had liked. They feared him, for sure, but honest, real respect is what Oswald actually prefered- or, let´s say, a good ratio of both is best. 

And of course, there was Edward Nygma, the tall riddle-lover, who Oswald adored so very much. The two were a very rare couple, really. Two oddballs actually feeling for one another- what a beautiful and strange thing it was. Ever since the feathered man confessed his love to Edward back then at the beautifully dressed dinner table, they sort of were a couple, but they never mentioned it, of course. It was just how things were. They were lovers- but didn´t speak of it. They both knew and accepted it though.

One cold autumn night like so many, Oswald decided that he would take a long, hot, scolding bath. 

One might consider the man to be quite spoiled if you didn´t know any better- seeing as he only ever took hot baths that were full to the brim and overflowing with bubbles. You´d think it was over the top- never would someone catch the Kingpin taking a shower. It had to be a bath- always. 

But Mr Copplepot had his good reasons. For one, it reminded him of his dearest mother, Gertrude Kupelput, and the buoyant bits of his childhood. 

-They did not have much back then in 1968, since his mom was a refugee, who came to Gotham and worked ambitiously and hard as a cook at a small diner, each and every day, just to gift the little, black-haired boy with the hooked nose somewhat normal childhood- as normal as circumstances allowed, that is. Every second month or so, the mother would fill the small bathtub in their flat with warm water and let her child bathe in it. She would always sing sweet songs to Oswald, as she filled a bowl with the water he sat in and carefully rinsed his hair with it, cupping the other hand over her son's ear, so no water would get in. She would be so gentle and affectionate, as she always was, but young fellow Copplepot always remembered washing days- as Gertrude called it- as they grew on him over time. So much so, that they became his favourite day besides Mothersday and Christmas. 

> _"Close your eyes, my little Copplepot. we don´t want soap in them_ _."_

Well, that was one reason why he loved bathing so much. Memories over memories, clear as day, sweet as sugar, bitter as coffee, like daggers in Oswald's heart. He kept those deep in his heart, where he cherished his beloved mother´s memories now. But another reason why he loved bathing is that it was simply calming and the warmth helped with his foot-pain on very bad days. It was how he relaxed and came at ease when his anger and rage seemed to overtake him- which happened ever so often. At times Oswald felt it was a bit childish, but then he would quickly wipe that nagging self-doubt away. Why bother, it was simply how he did things, nothing to discuss or talk over. 

So Oswald got up from his seat at the big desk and walked through his father´s mansion, supporting himself on his walkingstick, which made loud clacking sounds echo through the big halls and rooms of the old-fashioned building. He was looking for his helping hand, Edward, to inform the taller man of his plans, just so Edward knew where his partner was at. Or, more, he wasn´t really looking for him, he knew where Edward was- at the desk in the spacious living room. That´s where he was usually spending his time at afternoon-hours. 'Eddie'- as Penguin often lovingly referred to the Riddler- was a late-night owl and would often stay up past 11 pm to read books or go over plans for the third time, just to make sure they are perfect and to Oswald's expectations and liking (which they always were). 

So the mayor halted in front of a grand, dark-oak-door and knocked twice. After hearing a confirming " _Yes_ _?_ " come from the inside of the room, Oswald pushed the door open with efforts. Immediately the brown-haired man threw a look at the door to see Penguin standing in the doorframe. 

" _Oswald_ _!_ ", Edward voiced in a friendly tone, " _How can I be of help to you_ _?_ " He spoke in an overly polite manner, just as excited in tone as was his facial expression- a thin, broad smile crept across Edwards's lips, almost from one ear to the other. It was the Riddlers signature, over the top smile, but in a kindhearted, warming way. 

At that, a grin hushed over Oswald's lips. He loved seeing Edward so thrilled whenever he encountered the feared Kingpin- it did push his ego quite a bit. And other than that, it was simply lovable. Edwards sneaky, broad smile, made his ears move up with his cheeks. 

And Oswald had a soft spot for Edward´s reaction whenever someone knocked. His face always turned to the door attentively, eyebrows slightly raised behind his black-framed glasses, wanting to know who just entered the room. Although the feathered chap assumed that his lover could tell it was him even before entering, due to the sound he made when waddling. It wasn´t exactly quiet, and the pattern of his steps and the walkingstick were quite eminent. 

So he walked towards Edward, who was still sitting at the desk, which was positioned by the windows, so one could use as much daylight as possible. But now the sun was already going down, so the room was glazed in a purplish-blueish tint. 

Oswald began; " _I just wanted to let you know that I will be taking a bath._"

Edward looked up at Penguin, his beautiful dark brown eyes glistening carefully while listening, hands folded on the expensive dark wooded desk. It was a rather rare occasion, in which Oswald looked down on Edward, not the other way around- since Oswald was built rather small for a grown man, whereas Edward was about 183cm ((6ft)) tall. 

Since Edward´s fancy man lowered his tone at the end of his sentence and paused, Edward assumed it was his turn to talk.

" _Alright, would you like me to prepare anything for you_ _?_ "

But his opponent turned down that offer by raising his left hand in a stopping manner, as he shook his head. 

" _No, no, Ed. It´s alright, thank you. I´ll be well off myself. You keep doing your...paperwork._", Penguin said, as he threw a quick look at Eddie's desk. 

Edward´s smile did not disappear, " _Well, good. I´ll see you around, Ozzie_." 

Oswald simply answered with another smile. Secretly he fancied when his swain called him that. 'Ozzie' sounded so lovely when it came from the Riddlers lips. It had a playful ring to it. 

The small man eventually turned on his heel and walked out of the room, closing the door carefully behind himself. Then he strolled towards the bathroom, which was on the first floor, not so far away. He leaned his walking stick against the wall to the left of the door as he began pushing it open. 

He stepped into the big bathroom. Right away you could see the pigmy window, out of which you could spot all the trees and their pretty warm-toned leaves, some of which were falling to the ground just as Oswald eyed them. And that reminded him of a riddle, that Edward bestowed upon him a while ago. 

> **_"What wears rings without having fingers, and leaves without going anywhere?"_ **

Back then Copplepot did not know the answer to this conundrum, or more precisely, he did not care to answer. Edward had asked him this riddle while walking towards the gate in front of the mansion, eager to know Oswald's answer- which was silence.

> **_" I´m strong as a rock, but a word can break me"_ **

Another riddle that Penguin remembered. Edward talked an awful lot, but somehow Oswald managed to remember lots of it. He acted annoyed- which, admittedly, at given circumstances he sometimes was, but he never meant to lash out on Eddie, like he oftentimes did- and regretted afterwards. But Edward never seemed to be too hurt by this, since it gave him an opportunity to prove his intellect, which he loved doing. He always wanted the people around him to know, that he- The Riddler! - was their intellect superior. Narcissism, quite obviously. But Oswald did not mind that, at least not at most times. 

Ozzie almost zoned out while watching the trees further away from the mansion drop their leaves. He shook himself back into the here and now and waddled to the left of the room, carefully walking around the big lion-clawed marble bathtub in the middle of the room, where the gorgeous sinks and cabinets were. The countertops were also marble, just like the chess-tiled floor. In fact, the whole room looked rather expensive, but Penguin was a man of money, and just like his father, had a taste of things. He liked to show off his wealth wherever he could, especially in how he presented himself- He favoured perfectly tailored suits, made out of expensive fabric, and even for this time and age, he dressed out-cunningly. He wore polished, real-leather shoes and victorian western-styled tie-bands. 

Carefully, minding his bad leg, he bowed down slightly to open the cabinet underneath the sink, in which the towels lay. He grabbed one and placed it on top of the counter, closing the cabinet again. The towel was fuzzy, soft to the touch, beige and very neatly folded. That was Olga´s work- the Penguins maid. Or more like a butler, cook, cleaning-maid, somewhat of a mother-figure and therapist. Oswald regularly vented to the Russian lady, who often did not respond at all, due to the language barrier, or only respond in small words- maybe that was the comforting part, no matter what, she would always listen very attentively and let the man spill his heart out to her without being interrupted or without uncalled for advice. Penguin would often complain to her for hours on end, most of the time it was something about the GCPD, Jim Gordon, the amount of work he had to do or about minor inconveniences, that weren´t really such a big deal, but to hothead Oswald they very much were. 

Following that, Oswald started to undress, which was a long and tedious process- but worth it nonetheless. A mayor and crime-boss always needed to look the part. First, the shiny shoes were carefully taken off, again, minding his leg, then he put his black tuxedo-jacket on the countertop next to the towel. He unbuttoned his purple vest smoothly and placed it on top of the tuxedo jacket. Slipping out of his trousers, he supported himself on the counter not to fall, and only then he got rid of his tie, after which he took off his silky dress shirt. Now he was only wearing his undergarments, which looked quite silly, but Penguin preferred them over regular boxers and shirts. 

He proceeded to turn around and face the bathtub. It was as clean as ever- so much so, that the slightly blue light, which the sunset threw onto the entire room, almost reflected in the bathtub. Oswald tugged at the faucet and let the warm water rush into the tub. Immediately the loud sound filled the entire room, but it was a sound of comfort to the small man- as it always brought happiness to him. While the water was rising, Oswald made his way to the door to close it, and then for about a minute, he stood against the counter, watching the water slowly fill the bathtub. 

It was getting warm and damp in the room, and the water was steaming. Oswald toddled towards the right side of the room, where a rack full of luxurious bathing products stood. He grabbed a purple bottle, which was a bubble-bath-mixture, and turned to the bathtub, twisted off the cap and poured a bit into the water, which immediately bubbled up, then screwed the bottle close again and put it back. Right away it smelled heavily of vanilla and lavender, which were two smells the villainous man was very fond of, just like the smell of ginger-lemon-tea or that of his mother´s gulasch, just as the smell of Riddler´s perfume, which smelled.. well, clean. Not exactly masculine or feminine, just clean. Almost like a doctor´s office smelled, but more comforting and less harsh. And ever since Penguin has lived in the same mansion as his Chief of Staff and paramour, he has also been rather keen on the smell of coffee with cinnamon and sugar. Eddie had his ways of making breakfast, which was teeth-rottingly sweet. Somedays, Edward would plate breakfast down at the long dinner table, before Olga could. Not only was the glasses-wearer a night owl, but weirdly enough and contradictingly, he was also a morning person. And, believe it or not, Edward actually liked his coffees sweet- cinnamon and sugar, but no milk. Yes, like mentioned before, he had his ways of making breakfast. And although Oswald hated coffee, that specific smell of Eddie's coffee brings him comfort. 

That reminded the man of yet another riddle, that the Riddler had opposed to him once. 

> **_"Sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet, in the morning, help you on your feet! What am I?"_ **

And surprisingly that was one of the easiest riddles Oswald´s boyfriend had asked him. Coffee, of course. Edward had asked him this riddle once very early in the morning while carrying his very dear cup off weirdly-mixed coffee in one hand, a glass of water on a tray with a straw in the other. The one on the tray was meant for Penguin, obviously, and that flustered Oswald a tad bit. It was very considerate of Edward, even if Oswald did not admit it to him directly, and was a funny comparison to the cup of water Edward had offered Oswald a long time ago when the proud Penguin was arguably at the worst point in his life yet- his precious mother had died at the hands of Tabitha and Theo Galivan, and he himself only got away by what seemed like luck. But then, in that forest, he stumbled upon Edward Nygma again, who lovingly and carefully nursed him back to health, as if he had found a wounded bird back then in that forest, and took it home with him to help it back on its feet. And stubbornly, the bird would not drink that glass of water, but now he accepted it gladly. 

So Penguin turned off the faucet and took off his undergarments, which he somewhat carelessly threw onto the rack. Supporting himself on the rim of the bathtub he raised his left leg first, slowly stepping into the bathtub. He hissed slightly at how boiling hot the water was, but then stepped in completely and sat down, which sent goosebumps down his entire body, and he had to breathe in deep. The water was very fervent, but that´s how The Penguin liked it, and that´s how it´s done. 

After a while, the heat got comforting rather than aching, and Oswald settled in. He lay down slightly, breathing in the damp air, which felt sizzling on his skin, but like a warm hug. All of Oswald´s worries and burden washed away, as he soaked in the water. He crossed his legs in the bathtub and rest his hands on the rim of the tub, which kept him from sinking too low. His now wet hair stuck to his forehead. Being the mayor of Gotham, out of all cities, was unbelievably exhausting. All the running around all day made his leg hurt the usual amount, which Oswald was used to, but he was relieved when the water made his body relax. He slowly let his eyes close, took a deep breath. Now it was very quiet in the room. Just water splashing when the man in it moved. He felt like he was floating and as if time had stopped, how peaceful. So peaceful, that he slowly felt himself drifting off to sleep. 

* * *

About an hour went by and Edward was done with all the paperwork at last. Just the usual, invitations he had to turn down, other invitations he accepted for the mayor, threatening letters to potential enemies and foes, and all sorts of stuff you could imagine. Edward was a very busy man now, after all, he was the mayors Chief of Staff and the Penguin´s helping hand and shadow. The man went through his perfectly gelled down hair, which was still pretty soft, and got out of his chair. He stretched and yawned, then pushed his glasses back with his middle finger, after checking his wristwatch. It was 07:48 p.m, but Oswald wasn´t around yet. 

Usually, Olga was preparing mouth-watering dinner around this time, and it did fill the whole house with a delicious smell already- it smelled of roasted meat, potatoes and other delectable stuff- and Oswald knew that, of course. He should have returned by now, since coming late to dinner wasn´t really like him. 

After eyeing his watch for a short time, he lowered his arm and stepped behind his chair to push it underneath the desk, which he regarded one last time. 

The papers for the mayor lay in a neat pile on the right side of the spacious desk, next to the paper pile for the crime-boss Penguin. The mayor-stack was significantly taller than the one for the Penguin. Edwards dark green-golden pen was placed carefully underneath the desk lamp, which he had turned on since the sun was down by now. Said pen was a gift from Oswald- he had bought this for Edward once he got elected as mayor. 

> _"Since you are now my Chief of Staff, I believe you deserve this. Take it as a 'thank you'. Edward, for all the work you have done, just to get me to where I am now. Where-... we.. are now_ _. "_

-Oswald had said, with an awkward smile on his blushing face, the pen in a small, patted black box. The pen had Edward´s initials engraved in a golden, fancy font. 

At that thought, Edward flashed a small smirk. It was a very thoughtful gesture, Edward concluded, given the fact that Oswald had a hard time saying thank you´s or showing appreciation, that pen was actually really charming and sweet. 

The tall, lanky man fixed the collar of his white dress shirt and trotted towards the door to the halls, turned the doorknob and opened it, at which the smell of roasted pork and mashed potatoes with garlic pushed towards Edward´s nose, and as expected, the whole hall smelled savoury and heavenly- So Olga was preparing dinner already. 

He closed the door behind him prudently and thought to himself, that the best thing to do was to check on his partner, just in case something happened. He stepped down the stairs in his usual, quick paste and marched towards the bathroom door. At that, Edward noticed Penguin´s walking stick leaned towards the wall. Without Oswald´s knowledge, the brilliant-minded man had inspected his walkingstick before, it was actually a cleverly hidden murder-weapon, Edward had always been intrigued by how many tricks his feathered colleague had up his wings. The Penguin never left his save walls without either a gun or his walking stick, he was always prepared to use these weapons, too. And that amused Riddler, and he was actually impressed by his partner's quick thinking or, rather, his lack of impulse control and how he never hesitated to drive a blade between someone´s ribs or a bullet into someone´s head. That part about Oswald had always fascinated Edward, even back then when he nursed him to health after he found him in that forest a long time ago. It was really alluring and exciting to the Riddler, how his partner looked rather unhazardous and untroubled at first sight but was actually spine-stingingly cunning, nastily menacing and horribly gruesome, just as on the ball and quick-witted as Edward loved it, just really agitating and thrilling- to him, at least. 

The walking stick had a silver penguins head on top, with a long, sharp peak, that resembled Oswald´s nose a lot, so the tall man thought, but in an adorable and dainty way, that is. And if one pulled at the head, it released a dangerous, sharp knife, which Oswald has stabbed countless people with, whether it be self-defence, or because they angered or scrutinized him, which was ridiculously easy to do. The stick itself was made out of black, expensive wood- fitting for Oswald, Edward apprehended.

So he knocked at the door in a rhythm-like manner. And then he waited. And knocked again. 

" _Oswald?_", he then shouted.

He calculated all the possible options in his head.

_Why would Oswald not answer the door? He either drowned or fell asleep. He also has not left, since his walking stick was in front of the room, and even in a hurry, Oswald rarely left without it. Or he got abducted, but since there was no trace of someone entering the mansion unannounced, he could also rule out murder, or any such thing, simply unlikely. Drowning would be awfully ironic, seeing that his name was The Penguin, and penguins rarely ever drown. But it wouldn´t be laughable, and so Edward concluded to intrude. IF his boss, well- and lover, had drowned in this bathroom, that would be disastrous. And if he had drowned about half a minute ago, he could still be revised. So Edward didn´t waste any time._

" _I´m coming in!_", he warned Oswald loudly through the door, just in case he was alive and well, so he wouldn´t run in unionized.

Then he quickly grabbed the doorknob, twisted and pulled, and right away the steam fogged up his glasses slightly, but he did see that Oswald was above water level, so drowning was precluded- to Edwards relief. 

But Oswald was asleep, his arms hanging from the bathtub, head tilted slightly to the left, and his hair sticking tightly to his head. He also wore an expression on his face, that Edward rarely ever got to observe- he looked at peace and mellow. 

The slim man walked towards the bathtub, stopped right in front of it, eyeing Oswald´s pretty face. His long, black eyelashes, his thin, chapped lips and his slightly freckled, red, long nose. Some hairs were hanging down to his eyebrows.

Edward put his right hand to his chin, as he quietly spoke to himself: _" Now.. what to do?"_

While he could of course wake his partner up, he knew Oswald wouldn´t take that so lightly. The smaller man has been working himself tired with all the duties that come with being the mayor of Gotham, and he more so often overslept, if it wasn´t for Edward, insisting he´d get up. Oswald favoured his sleep and would quite literally kill a man if it got him an extra hour of sleep, cuddled underneath his expensive, heavy blankets. Or in warm water, as it was at that moment. 

But Edward also wasn´t too keen on heaving the man out of the bathtub- naked, that is- and without Penguin´s permission, and then carry him to bed- still naked- to continue his sleeping habits in his warm bed, rather than the bathtub.

Oswald´s toes had already become textured, meaning he has been in the water for too long.

So Edward couldn´t just let his lover stay in the bathtub and hope he´d wake up on his own eventually, because he knew that staying in the water wasn't healthy ´for Oswald´s body. Bathing too many times for too long strips the hair of its natural oils and dries the skin- that´s why Edward himself was more of a shower-guy. A cold shower in the morning, nothing woke him up quiet like that. And besides, showering cold actually did the body multiple favours instead of damaging it- it regulates body temperature and prevents hair loss. He never really understood why Oswald loved bathing so much, but he assumed it was comforting to him. Oh, what irony, the cold, icy Penguin loved to take hot baths- like so many things, that was another thing that Riddler loved about Oswald, it was simply wholesome. 

_Oh dear, so what to do?_

Edward was beginning to sweat a bit, due to the general heat in the room. Well, the only logical thing to do was to wake him up, Edward thought. 

And so he did, tapping Oswald´s wet shoulder slightly while sing-songing " _Oswald, Oswald, Oswald, wakey-wakey, sleepy bird!_ "

Suddenly, Oswald was shaken awake with a slight gasp of surprise. He opened his light-blue eyes and looked around confusedly, then he quickly sat up and pulled his arms into water, shivering a bit.

" _E-Ed?_ "

Immediately Edward got the hint and stepped back, holding his hands up in defence, and started to explain: 

_"_ _So Sorry- you fell asleep in the bathtub, I feared you had drowned so I allowed myself to come in and check up on_ _you."_

Edward stopped his almost animated talking to see whether or not his opponent was about to freak out or not. But to the man´s surprise, he just massaged his arms, which were probably sore after hanging off the bathtub rim for so long. So Edward continued, holding his posture:

" _I did knock twice, to my defense, but since you were asleep I got no answer. Aren´t you cold? "_, he asked, without expecting an answer, seeing as Oswald's arms had goosebumps on them. He paused for a second and then started to ramble again.

" _Olga is preparing dinner, I assume something with roasted pork , garlic and potatoes, the whole mansion is smelling **heavenly**_ ,", he emphasized the last word by making two OK- signs with his hands and grinning broadly while doing so, then continued, 

" _You should get out and dressed, I´ll bring you your clothes, ye s?"_

Then Edward walked towards the counter to hand his partner the towel, which Oswald had prepared for himself before stepping into the bathtub. 

_" Here. Do you need help getting out?" but right after he asked this question he regretted it_, he did not mean to make it sound as if Oswald was incapable of performing such a task on himself,he was just looking to sound caring. However, Oswald did not seem to mind, instead, he simply said: " _No, I´m fine, Ed- But if you did, could you bring me my comfortable clothes?_" to which Edward nodded, " _Sure, be right back._" And so Edward turned and left, closing the door behind him. 

Oswald sighed. _" How... did I fall asleep in here?"_, he asked himself with a slightly disgusted look on his face. He let the luke-warm water down the drain and got out slowly, not to hit his right leg anywhere. Right away the cold air felt like sharp blades on the man´s wet skin, so he quickly grabbed the soft towel and wrapped himself in it, slowly drying himself with it. And after a short time, he heard knocking at the door, and then his boyfriend walked in, holding folded clothes carefully in his hand. 

_"I ´ll put them right here-"_, he said, while placing them on the counter. It was a big, long gown, black and gold, silk socks, underwear and undergarments. _"S o, I told Olga that you´re on your way, that´s why it took a bit. And, I´ll take your old clothes to the washing room, alri-"_, but he stopped midsentence, as Oswald tottered towards him, and Edward flashed an awkward smile. Penguin, too, smiled at that. 

_" T hank you, Eddie. I honestly appreciate all you do."_ And he gasped apparently wanting to add something to that but decided not to. Edward too, wanted to say something, but stopped, as Oswald walked a bit closer to his tall lover, now they were only a small step away from one another. He got on his toes, grabbing Edward´s shirt for support as he did so, and hugged him closely, before pressing a quick, frosty kiss on Edward´s cheek. Oswald´s cold, wet hair brushed on Nygma´s chin, as he did so, and his´s skin felt chilly on Edward´s. It took Riddler a second to realize, but then he hugged his lover closely. He could smell the vanilla-lavender fragrance and felt the soft towel, as Oswald´s wet hair drenched the collar of Riddler´s shirt, and water dripped from Ozzie´s hair onto the tall man´s leather shoes. 

_"I appreciate you too, Ozzie."_; he mumbled into Oswald´s shoulder, stroking his back lovingly, as he did. 

As they relieved their hug, Edward wore his big, clashy smile again, ear to ear. And Penguin was looking up at him, blushing slightly. 

Unexpectedly, Edward clapped his hands and said _"S o! Let´s get going then, shall we!",_ which stunned Oswald a bit. Right, but first he´d have to get dressed. 

_" Yup, agreed!"_, he answered with a smile on his face and waited for his opponent to turn and walk out, which he didn´t. 

There was a stiff silence, and Oswald stopped smiling, but Edward didn´t. 

_" Right... I´ll see you at dinner, Ed."_

And only then Edward realized.

_" Oh, sure. Sorry. See you then."_

And he turned and walked out, closing the door leisurely. Oswald just smiled broadly while shaking his head.

_" Oh, Eddie."_

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings, my dear, this is my first fanfiction on here. I hope it was enjoyable and easy to read. Since I am not that experienced on here just yet, I will simply keep writing on other fanfictions that pop to mind. That said, I´d be happy over any comments or suggestions you folks have. Also, the coffee-thing I got inspired by is by Gabrie_DwelleR, so check them out. 
> 
> Yours dearly,
> 
> stimkycat.


End file.
